Universal McCann has won the $11m Panasonic media planning and buying account following a competitive pitch, taking the business out of incumbent Essence Media.
UM saw off competition for the account from Ikon and OMD. The win includes all media communications business. Pitch consultancy Trinity P3 handled the review.
A focus of the review and pitch process for Panasonic was to map the future for the brand in Australia as well as to evaluate the communications potential of all media to reach consumers effectively.
Gemma Lemieux, director, market communications, Panasonic, said: “UM most clearly demonstrated the synergies that can be created in leveraging the Panasonic brand across a gamut of media channels.”
“In particular, the agency’s understanding of how to command earned, paid and owned media to make Panasonic a more holistic brand, in a very crowded marketplace, was most impressive.
“This is a significant year for Panasonic where we are looking to build on the market success on sub-brands such as LUMIX cameras, as well as introducing 3D TV to Australian consumers for the first time. This new relationship is important for the next phase of Panasonic’s brand development.”
Henry Tajer, CEO of UM Australia and president of UM Asia Pacific, said: “We have been building capabilities that not just match, but are ahead of today’s dynamic media communications environment. The shape and scope of the agency’s operations have changed dramatically over time so we can bring truly new and effective solutions to our clients.”
Tajer added: “We brought the full extent of our capabilities in one team to Panasonic. It is a privilege to be chosen as their media communications partner and the team is eager to deliver on the opportunities we have identified for Panasonic.”
According to Nielsen, Panasonic spent $10.8m on main media between December 2008 to November 2009. This was an increase on the $10.3m spent the previous year.
Earlier this week the brand appointed Richard Tassone to the newly-created role of general manager, marketing, consumer electronics group.
